High efficiency compressor and distribution system

ABSTRACT

This present invention is a more economical method and apparatus for compressing gas or other compressible fluids in high volumes at any desired pressures for any desired purpose. One preferred use is for generating high volumes of air capable to be delivered at any drafts for the purpose of lubricating ships motions and accordingly lowering their drag, fuel consumption and harmful emissions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/019,841 filed on Feb. 9, 2016, which takes priority fromU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/176,738 filed on Feb. 27,2015, titled “High efficiency high volume low pressure compressor”, byinventors Dan Nicolaus Costas and Alexander Nicholas Costas, thecontents of which are expressly incorporated herein by this reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the method and apparatus for generatingcompressed air that can be used for various applications including airbubble generation for lubrication of nautical vessels. Vast amounts ofair at various pressures depending on the depth (draft) at which the airneeds to be dispersed are needed. The existing types of compressors caneither deliver pressures but not economically large volumes (pistontype) or large amounts but not enough pressure (turbo fans) to overcomethe pressure at the high depths required by transportation ships.

BACKGROUND

90% of world transportation of goods is being done by nautical vessels.Most of it is by ocean going ships which burn a massive amounts lowgrade bunker fuel. This fuel is the least expensive, but most pollutingpetroleum product available. On an annual basis, the fifteen (15)largest transportation ships are responsible for as much pollution asthe worldwide fleet of 780 million cars. The 90,000 nautical vesselsover 150 meters long currently operating burn more than eighty-five(85%) percent of the oil exports of Saudi Arabia, the world's largestoil exporter, daily. It has been estimated that more than 60,000 deathsoccur each year of illnesses caused by pollutants generated by maritimeshipping. It is thus very important to reduce this exorbitantconsumption in any possible way.

Although more efficient engines and methods to reduce their emissionsare being implemented on newly built ships, the ships already in usegenerally will not be upgraded before being retired from service.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has designed and is building a new type ofship using an air lubrication system termed “MALS”, which reduces dragand reduces fuel consumption by about seven (7%) percent. They usepowerful fans that pressurize air to be released as air bubbles underthe hull and thus lower the frictional resistance. The problem is thatthe fans consume energy and still cannot generally push air deeper thanfive (5) meters. Therefore, they built a new class of vessels withshallow drafts that can employ this lubrication technology. They areflooded with orders for these new boats, but it takes time to build themand the already in use boats cannot benefit since most of the carriershave bigger drafts. A compressor that can generate large volumes of airat a pressure sufficient to overcome the static pressure at the bottomof the vessels is needed.

While the U.S. Pat. No. 8,763,547 authored by Dan Costas and AlexanderCostas offers a solution for such a compressor, this compressor has tobe custom built for each vessel. For this a dry dock is needed and thatmakes it for a long and expensive installation dramatically reducing thenumber of boats that can be upgraded in a year. A modular compressorthat can be built, transported, and dropped on to a boat to supplycompressed air for an air bubble distribution system that can also beattached on boats without need for a dry dock would be desirable becausea large number of boats can be outfitted each year contributingsignificantly to the fuel economy and pollution reduction. While thebubble generation for ship lubrication is one of the applications, thistype of compressor once proven its efficiency can be used for any otherunrelated application in any market sector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One important and very useful application would be to have a system thatcan be easily implemented on existing boats for reducing their drag andconsequently their fuel consumption and harmful emissions. Such a systemas described in the previous applications is formed by 2 parts, the aircompressing part and the compressed air distribution part. The key partof such a system is a compressor capable of efficiently delivering largeflows of air (hundreds to thousands of liters/second) at relatively lowpressures, (1 bar above atmospheric pressure for a 10 meters draft, 2bar for 20 meters draft etc.). Such a compressor does not exist. Theexisting technologies can provide either high pressure/low flow or highflow/too low pressure for reasonable/useful fuel consumptions, butconsume exorbitant amounts of fuel in order to provide high flow ratesat the required pressures.

The present invention describes a simple concept which with very lowenergy consumption compresses significant volumes of a gas to anydesired pressure in a timely manner. Instead of trying to accelerate airwith a propeller like turbofans do, it pumps water which is 780 timesdenser than air and therefore the propeller has a much better powerdelivery from the motor. The water is being pumped from a relativelylarge chamber compared to the pipes that it is being driven through, upan ascending pipe that leads to an air injector, for instance a venturipipe. Here, due to a depression created by the water being acceleratedthrough the injector, air is being drawn in to the flow and entrainedcreating a mixture of water with air bubbles which is directed through adescending pipe back to the relatively large chamber. Here, the flowslows down significantly, allowing the air to separate on top of wateras compressed air due to the fact that the limited space keeps being fedair by the flow of water.

Once a circuit of water is established, its momentum and energy isconserved in this circuit between the tank, ascending and descendingpipes, and the injector, thus the pump keeps recirculating the flow ofwater without any effort except that necessary to overcome the frictionin the system besides compensating for the weight difference between theascending heavier column of water and descending lighter column ofair/water mixture. From here on, compressed air can be withdrawn fromthe space on top of the water in the tank which now constitutes thecompressed air reservoir, while the flow of water maintained by the pumpkeeps replenishing the consumed air. The air/water ratio variesdepending on many variables but it is significant, ranging from 20% toover 40% under normal operating conditions.

While the ship lubrication application is one of the best applicationsof this new type of compressor, many other applications can beenvisioned and the simplicity and economic advantages of it should makeit desirable.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the limitations of theprior art.

These, as well as other components, steps, features, objects, benefitsand advantages, will now become clear from a review of the followingdetailed description of illustrative embodiments, the accompanyingdrawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. shows the principle of the compressor and how it can bemanufactured inside a standard 40 foot container for easy delivery

FIG. 2. Shows how the compressor can be manufactured in the small scalesuch that it can meet the space demands of any client and be connectedin stages to nevertheless deliver high pressures

FIG. 3. Shows a side view of a vessel with a simple to implementdistribution system attached to the bow.

FIG. 4. Shows a frontal view of a vessel with a simple to implementdistribution system attached to the bow.

FIG. 5. Shows a version of the compressor designed to be attached to thebow of an existing ship to generate the needed air to be used for thelubrication as well as other ship needs.

FIG. 6. Is a schematic view of an embodiment of a distribution systemcoupled to a nautical vessel.

FIG. 7. Is a schematic view of an embodiment of a distribution systemcoupled to a nautical vessel.

FIG. 8. Is a schematic view of an embodiment of a distribution systemcoupled to a nautical vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are of illustrative embodiments. They do not illustrate allembodiments. Other embodiments may be used in addition or instead.Details which may be apparent or unnecessary may be omitted to savespace or for more effective illustration. Some embodiments may bepracticed with additional components or steps and/or without all of thecomponents or steps which are illustrated. When the same numeral appearsin different drawings, it refers to the same or like components orsteps.

In the following description of various embodiments of the invention,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various aspects of one or more embodiments of theinvention. However, one or more embodiments of the invention may bepracticed without some or all of these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, procedures, and/or components have notbeen described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects ofembodiments of the invention.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, theinvention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, allwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the figures, and the detailed descriptions thereof, are tobe regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Also, thereference or non-reference to a particular embodiment of the inventionshall not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1: shows the principle of the functioning of such a compressor. Aclosed tank 10 holds a transport fluid 20, such as water, which can bepumped by pump impeller 30 actuated by motor 40 into pipe 50 whichconnects with a fluid injector 60—for example a venturi tube—drawing asecond, compressible fluid 200—for example atmospheric air and/oranother gas—through pipe 80 from a source of said second compressiblefluid 200 that in most cases is the atmospheric pressure. The colloid 70formed of transport fluid 20 and compressible fluid 200 gets returned totank 10 where the speed of the colloid 70 decreases to the point thatthe compressible fluid 200 raises to the surface forming a reservoir 300of compressed fluid 200. The compressed fluid 200 in reservoir 300 cansupply through valve 95 the necessary pressure for a boat lubricationsystem using air bubbles or be used for any other purpose requiringcompressed air as well as cover for additional energy needs of the ship.

While the compressed air and the heat generated by this system can beused for any purpose, the particular application of lubricating themotion of vessels will be detailed further.

The tank 10 together with pump 30 and motor 40 can be installed in a 40foot transport container which has the advantage of being easilytransported and loaded on boats. The ascending pipe 50, compressiblefluid injector 60 and descending colloid pipe(s) can be affixed on topof the tank-container. To increase the efficiency and volume ofcompressible fluid injection it is preferable to have low staticpressure and therefore the injector 60 can be lifted to be working atten meters for example, above the water level in tank 10. This way foras long as the pump 30 keeps moving water, the system keeps supplyingthe necessary air to be delivered at a depth of 10 meters through thedistribution system (not shown) connected to valve 95. The 10 meter highpipe and venturi system can be held up by various means, including polewith anchors or posed against existing walls or other structures notshown.

This system is very flexible with regards to implementation. Referringto FIG. 1: it is possible to modulate the levels of compressible fluid200 flow and pressure increase by:

modulating the pressure difference created in the compressible fluidinjector 60 by altering its dimensions or actively injectingcompressible fluid 200 and/or altering the dimensions of pipes 50 and/oraltering the dimensions of tank 10 and/or altering the power delivery ofmotor 40 and/or altering the size or design of pump 30 and/or alteringthe height H of the venturi pipe with respect to the fluid level inseparation tank 10.

All of these modifications are based upon the Bernoulli principle withaim of changing transport fluid velocity, pressure gains or drops invarious parts of the system, and total flow rate of compressed fluid. Assuch this system is apt to generate a wide range of pressures and flowrates, at will, with the deciding factors being those presented by theinstallation at hand. How and why these effects happen is detailed infollowing paragraphs.

To illustrate the point further, will briefly introduce the Bernoulliprinciple and formulae thereof and show how each of the abovemodifications would lead to its desired effect. The Bernoulli principlestates that the total energy of a fluid in a pipeline is constant, thatis, that the relative proportions of kinetic, potential, and pressureenergy can change along a pipeline, but that their sum does not.

A nice way to introduce the formulae we need is to start with adescription of the energy of a set amount of water in the pipeline,which is conserved thanks to the first law of thermodynamics, and thenmove on from there.

Such an expression would be: ½mv²+PV+mgz=K

-   Where m is the mass of fluid in question, v is its velocity, P is    its static pressure, V is its volume, g is acceleration under    earth's gravity, z is its elevation above a set level, and K is some    constant. In this formula we easily recognize the term for kinetic    energy, ½mv², the term for pressure-volume energy, PV, and the term    for potential (elevation) energy, mgz.-   Moving forward we can divide by the volume to obtain a more useful    equation: ½pv²+P+pgz=K where

$\rho = \frac{m}{V}$

is the density of the fluid and the other terms are the same (note K isan arbitrary constant, not necessarily the same as before). This may befamiliar in another form as the formula for the total head

$H = {\frac{v^{2}}{2} + \frac{P}{\rho } + z}$

which is obtained by dividing the previous equation by pg.

Let us work with ½pv²+P+pgz=K which provides us with the dynamicpressure, ½pv², static pressure P, and the third component pgz whichwill be termed “potential pressure” for the rest of this patent since itis a representative of the potential energy and has the potential to beconverted in to static or dynamic pressure. A typical transport fluid 20would be water which is practically incompressible, meaning that itsdensity p is also constant, since neither the mass nor the volume of asample of water can be changed. This leaves the variables v, P, and z tobe altered (g is a natural constant on earth's surface). Luckily we havefull control of v and z by controlling the pump 30 and motor 40 drivingthe transport fluid, the diameter of the pipes 50 being used, and theelevation of said pipes 50 (note

${v = {{\frac{Q}{A}\mspace{14mu} {where}\mspace{14mu} A} = {\left( \frac{d}{2} \right)^{2}*\pi}}},$

Q being the flow of transport fluid supplied by the pump. A the crosssection of a pipe, and d being the diameter of a pipe). This means wecan control the static pressure in any point of the system by designingit to have a certain fluid velocity v and elevation z at that point, andhence have a low pressure system in the compressible fluid injector 60to draw compressible fluid from its source, and a high pressure systemin the tank 10 and thus a high pressure in the compressible fluidreservoir 300.

Let us apply this knowledge to the aforementioned points of flexibilityin the system:

modulating the pressure difference created in the compressible fluidinjector 60 by altering its dimensions is controlling the velocity insaid injector 60 such that the static pressure is below that of thesource of compressible fluid 200 (static pressure falls if dynamicpressure increases due to a velocity increase since totalpressure/head/energy is constant) such that it will suck from thatsource and actively injecting compressible fluid 200 is simplyincreasing the pressure of the source of compressible fluid 200 suchthat it is above the pressure of the transport fluid 20 in the injector60.

Altering the dimensions of pipes 50 is simply controlling the velocityin these pipes 50 and thus the dynamic pressure, which again controlsthe static pressure indirectly through Bernoulli's principle. Inpractice this is more closely connected to the flow of transport fluid20 which is related to the injection rate.

Altering the dimensions of tank 10 again controls the speed of thetransport fluid 20 in the tank, and by making the tank 10 have a muchlarger cross section than the pipes 50 the transport fluid 20 slows downto a near stop and thus most of the energy will be stored aspressure—high pressure.

Altering the power delivery of motor 40 modulates the flow Q oftransport fluid 20 provided to the system and thus the velocity, andhence pressure, differences possible between the injector 60 and thetank 10. E.g. a higher flow rate will have a much higher dynamicpressure and hence much lower static pressure in the injector 60 whilethe pressure in tank 10 would be otherwise unchanged as the transportfluid 20 is in near standstill there anyway. This allows continuedcompression to higher tank 10 pressures since it will take longer forthe static pressure in injector 60 to build up and equalize the sourcepressure of compressible fluid 200.

Altering the size or design of pump 30 again has the same effect aspoint (4) in that you are selecting the correct design of the pump forthe water speed intended—large centrifugal propellers for high waterspeeds for example. This is quite a relevant point in that mostconventional pumps are designed to continuously accelerate fresh fluidrather than maintain a set speed on a closed circuit, and are thusdesigned to deliver much more torque than necessary once the system isunder way, and not enough rotations per minute on a propeller that istoo small, i.e. the system is “stuck in first gear”.

Altering the height displacement H of the transport fluid level in tank10 to injector 40 is the manipulation of the part of Bernoulli'sprinciple that we have left thus far untouched: the potential(elevation) pressure. Obviously at a set speed raising the injector 60further above the tank 10 will consequently lower the static pressure ininjector 60 since the potential pressure is increasing while dynamicpressure is unchanged (in the same way that static pressure is loweredby increasing dynamic pressure at a set elevation).

Thus the flexibility of this device and its usefulness has beendemonstrated. It is clear as well that any standard practices that maybe put in place (such as having a large displacement H by securing thedevice to the walls of a building to generate large tank 10 pressuresrather than consuming a lot of fuel to power a strong pump/motorcombination 30/40 to achieve the equivalent resulting tank 10 pressure)are a matter of convenience and space allocation for specificinstallations rather than rigid necessities.

Having discussed the matter of pressure generation it is natural to nowdiscuss how much flow of compressed fluid 200 is generated by thissystem. This is simply answered since all standard injection systemshave empirical tables listing their injection rates at varying pressuresand fluid speeds (often, as in the case of venturi pipes, listed as theinlet and outlet pressure when the injector is connected in parallel tothe main flow rather than in line with it for technical reasons), whichare both under the control of the designer of any set device. It is thusclear that an appropriate flow rate can be attained for the intended useby intelligent engineering. Any new injection devices will obviouslydevelop their own empirical findings for injection rates but this is notthe subject of the current patent.

Practically the compressor is comprised of 4 distinctive parts: a. Thepump, b. the air injector, c. the separation/compression chamber and d.the plumbing between them as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2: While in FIG. 1 a large, container size separation chamber isshown, with an axial type pump that delivers most efficiently high flowsof fluid at low heads. If there are space constraints that do not allowsuch a large installation, a smaller one may be designed as per previousflexibility observations although it will be less economical. In such asystem a centrifugal pump 30 capable of delivering higher dynamicpressure may be employed such that the plumbing 50 joining pump 30 withinjector 60 and separation chamber 10 can be accommodated in smallerspaces. The pump actuating motor should preferably be an electric motor40 with the proper automation to adjust its speed and power consumptionas needed. As it was mentioned, by increasing the height H of theinjector from the liquid surface in the separation chamber 10, themaximum pressure in this chamber 10 can be increased as desired.

However if the height H becomes practically impossible to accommodate,the compressor can be built in more than one stage. While the originalcompressor shown will constitute the first stage, adding anothercompressor as a stage 2 that takes the gas input 200 to its gas injector60 from the compressed gas valve 95 of the stage 1 compressor willaccomplish the task. Similarly stage 3 will operate with compressed airfrom stage 2 and so on. The characteristics of each of the compressorsof each stage will be adapted for each of them accordingly for maximumefficiency.

In this concluding technical paragraph the advantages of this compressorwith respect to the conventional piston and centrifugal compressors willbe detailed. Both of these conventional compressors must operate againsta pressure differential from their inlet to their outlet which wouldaccelerate the compressed air in the opposite direction of thecompressors sense of flow if the compressors are turned off. That is tosay, a significant amount of power is needed simply to counteract thisbackflow tendency of the compressed air, to the point that theseconventional compressors have a cap in their pressure differential atwhich point they will be using all of their power to simply maintain thegradient that they have established. Centrifugal compressors opt forhigh volumes of compressed air while only allowing for relatively lowmaximum pressures, whereas piston compressors can achieve higherpressures but sacrifice flow rate. The subject device of this patentdoes not have this issue as (drawing from FIG. 1) the pump 30 is pumpingtransport fluid 20 across a zero gradient, and must only supply thepower to compress the compressible fluid 200 and compensate for velocitylosses of transport fluid 20 due to friction in the closed circuit, andnot the additional gradient suppression power required by theconventional counterparts. Concisely: this new device will consume muchless power to compress fluid 200 or maintain a set pressure differentialbetween tank 10 and source of fluid 200 than the conventionalcompressors. This is easily accepted when one notices that the source offluid 200 and reservoir 300 of compressed fluid 200 are not in linearcontact with one another through the driving pump 30, whereas this isthe case in conventional compressors. As such, this constitutes asignificant improvement to the previous state of the art.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a preferred distribution system for compressedair for ship lubrication. The CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) showthat from a certain level 48 close to the ship bottom 36 the flow linesof water will end up under the hull bottom 36. Therefore if compressedair is being released by air distributor 44 at that level the airbubbles 50 will end up under the hull bottom 36 as shown. If thesurrounding water level 22 is close to that level, its static pressureis low and the lubrication can be attained with an inexpensive, lowpower blower.

The higher the water level 22 is relative to the compressed airreleasing point of distributor 44 the higher the water static pressurethat needs to be overcome and more powerful source of compressed air isneeded. Since most vessels travel loaded, a corresponding source ofcompressed air capable to overcome the static water pressure at thehighest drafts is needed.

However, the proposed distribution system has a few distinct advantagesover the holes in the bottom of the ship practiced by ship lubricationproviders like MHI. The first advantage is the fact that the bubbles arebeing released at higher level than the ship bottom and therefore lowerpressures and power consumption are needed. The source of compressed air40 as well as the leading piping system 42 to the air distributor 44 canbe affixed on the exterior of the bow or installed anywhere on a ship asdesired without even the need of a dry dock since the ship can beballasted with the bow exposed during the installation. While on newlybuilt ships this is not such an important factor, for updating shipsalready in use which form the bulk of the market the ease ofimplementation is a must.

FIG. 5 Shows an adapted version of this compressor that can be attachedto the bow of a vessel to generate the compressed air necessary for itslubrication and/or other energy needs. As the ship sails, water at waterintake 300 situated under the minimum draft water level is beingabsorbed and guided upwards the ascending channel 310 and diverted intothe venturi 320 elevated above the highest maximum water level forachieving low static pressure. The venturi 320 will entrain significantamounts of air generating a descending air/water columns 330 which getsdriven down by dynamic pressure to the bottom level of separationchamber 335 from where the slowed down water leaves through exit 360while air separates on top as compressed air 340 to be distributed tothe distribution system not shown through valve 380. To be noticed thatin many situations as would be the case with fixed draft and higherspeed ships like ferryboats or cruisers the dynamic pressure of thesailing boat may be enough to generate the necessary compressed air. Forvariable draft carriers the dynamic pressure may need to be supplementedas needed by single or multistage pump 390 actuated by motor 400 throughshaft 395. A shield 410 may be installed to protect and give the shipits original bow form, or part or the whole compressor system can beaccommodated inside the original hull as shown. This economic system caneasily be attached to ships already built to save significant fuel andpollution as well as on new builds.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a distribution system 290coupled to a nautical vessel 292. As explained above, the distributionsystem 290 is an adapted version of a compressor that can be attached tothe bow of a vessel 292 to generate compressed air. The compressed airis then released through a spreader/distributor 294 (e.g., conduit/pipewith a single outlet, a conduit/pipe with multiple outlets, etc.) tolubricate the vessel while sailing. In operation, water (e.g., transportfluid, carrier fluid) enters the water intake 300 positioned under thevessel's minimum draft when sailing. The water is then guided upwardsthrough the ascending channel 310 (e.g., pipe, conduit) and into aventuri valve 320 (e.g., compressible fluid injector), which is elevatedabove the maximum draft of the vessel 292 to minimize static pressure.As water passes through the venture 320, the dynamic pressure of thewater entrains air. The air/water mixture is then driven by dynamicpressure through the descending air/water column(s) 330 (e.g.,conduit(s), pipe(s)) to the spreader 294 where the air/water mixture isreleased. The air bubbles then pass along and/or underneath the vessel292, which lubricates the vessel 292 (i.e., reduces friction between thevessel 292 and the surrounding water) while sailing. As illustrated, thespreader 294 couples to the bow of the vessel 292, but may also coupleto the starboard side, the keel, or the port side of the vessel 292. Insome embodiments, there may be multiple spreaders 294 that couple to thestarboard side, the keel, and/or the port side of the vessel 292.

In some embodiments, the distribution system 290 may use a blower (e.g.,low-power blower) instead of the venturi valve 320 to inject air in thewater. In still other embodiments, the distribution system 290 may use aventuri valve 320 and a blower to entrain air in the water. For example,one or more blowers may be placed upstream and/or downstream of theventuri valve 320 to inject air into the water.

As illustrated, the distribution system 290 may include a pump 290(e.g., single stage, multi-stage pump) that supplements the dynamicpressure of the water generated as the vessel 292 moves through thewater. For example, variable draft carriers may include the pump 290 topump water through the distribution system 290 to supplement the dynamicpressure. Furthermore, the distribution system 290 may be retrofitted toexisting vessels 292 or built into new ships. For vessels 292retrofitted with the distribution system 290, a shield 410 may beinstalled to protect and give the ship its original bow form. In otherembodiments, some or part or the distribution system may be placedwithin the vessel 292 (e.g., the conduits 310 and 330).

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a distribution system 450coupled to a nautical vessel 292. The distribution system 450 includesone or more conduits 452 that receive water surrounding the vessel 292.The conduit 452 receives water through an inlet 454 positioned on thebow 456 of the ship that rests under the vessel's minimum draft whensailing. After passing through the inlet or intake 454, the water isdirected to a venturi valve 458. In the venturi valve 458 the dynamicpressure of the water entrains air (e.g., sucks or draws air into thewater). In some embodiments, the venturi valve 458 may be above amaximum draft of the vessel 292 to minimize static pressure. Byminimizing static pressure, the venturi valve 458 may more easilyentrain air in the water. In some embodiments, the distribution system450 may use a blower (e.g., low-power blower) instead of the venturivalve 458 to inject air in the water. In still other embodiments, thedistribution system 450 may use a venturi valve 458 and a blower toentrain air in the water. For example, one or more blowers may be placedupstream and/or downstream of the venturi valve 458 to inject air intothe water.

After passing through the venturi 458, the conduit 452 guides theair/water mixture 458 to a spreader 462 positioned below the water levelsurrounding the vessel 492. As illustrated, the spreader 462 ispositioned on the bow 456 below the water level and near the bottom ofthe vessel 292. In some embodiments, the spreader 462 may be positionedon the bow 456 at the bottom of the vessel 292. As illustrated in FIG.8, the spreader 462 may also be positioned at the bottom or keel of thevessel 292. The spreader 462 includes one or more outlets that releasethe air/water mixture 460 into the water surrounding the vessel 292.Once released the air forms a lubricating layer between the water andthe vessel 292 that reduces friction, which in turn reduces energyconsumption by the vessel 292 while sailing.

Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions,magnitudes, sizes, locations, and other specifications which are setforth in this specification, including in the claims which follow, areapproximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable rangewhich is consistent with the functions to which they relate and withwhat is customary in the art to which they pertain.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the inventionhas been presented for the purposes of illustration and description.While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe above detailed description, which shows and describes illustrativeembodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention iscapable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the detailed description is to be regarded as illustrativein nature and not restrictive. Also, although not explicitly recited,one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced in combinationor conjunction with one another. Furthermore, the reference ornon-reference to a particular embodiment of the invention shall not beinterpreted to limit the scope the invention. It is intended that thescope of the invention not be limited by this detailed description, butby the claims and the equivalents to the claims that are appendedhereto.

Except as stated immediately above, nothing which has been stated orillustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedicationof any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, orequivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recitedin the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a fluid intake configuredto intake a transport fluid from a fluid surrounding a nautical vessel;a compressible fluid injector fluidly coupled to the fluid intake,wherein the compressible fluid injector entrains and/or injects acompressible fluid into the transport fluid; and a distributor coupledto an exterior surface of the nautical vessel, wherein the distributoris positioned below a water surface surrounding the nautical vessel andconfigured to release the compressible fluid between the nautical vesseland the fluid surrounding the nautical vessel to reduce friction as thenautical vessel moves through the fluid.
 2. The system of claim 1,comprising a pump fluidly coupled to the fluid intake and configured toaugment a flow of the transport fluid through the compressible fluidinjector.
 3. The system of claim 1, comprising a conduit fluidly coupledto the fluid intake and to the distributor, wherein the conduit iswithin the nautical vessel.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thecompressible fluid injector is placed above a maximum draft of thenautical vessel to reduce static pressure during entrainment of thecompressible fluid with the transport fluid.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the compressible fluid injector comprises a venturi valve. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the compressible fluid injector comprisesa blower.